Casino Holdem

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Casino hold’em puts the player against only the dealer, instead of other gamblers at the table. Another difference is the use of an ante bet each hand, instead of a big blind/small blind betting of Texas Hold’em. This game was initially designed as a training tool for the more popular Texas Hold’em Poker. Live Casino Hold’em offers all the excitement of the real game, plus the convenience of being able to play anytime, anywhere! By using a live feed, the game is streamed directly to your computer screen, and every move is shown to you exactly as it is being done in real time at the live casino. Casino Hold'em has a similar structure to Texas Hold'em. After placing an Ante and, if desired, a Bonus wager, you and the Dealer are both dealt two Hole Cards. The Flop is then laid out. At this point, you.

Ultimate Texas Hold ’Em is one of the newest variations of poker to be created and it has become widely available in most U.S. casinos over the last several years. Today it is one of the most popular niche table games in almost every casino that offers it.

When Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em was first introduced, the game was only available on multiplayer electronic machines. Since that time, its popularity has exploded and it has been expanded into a live table game which is the most common variety played in casinos today. It is now a registered trademark of Bally Gaming.

Currently Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is available at most Las Vegas casinos and many others throughout the country. Like other forms of poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’Em is played with a single 52-card standard deck of cards. Players start off by making a blind and ante bet. Unlike traditional Texas Hold ‘Em variations, however, these two wagers must be equal. There is also an optional Trips side bet which pays regardless of whether your hand wins or loses. Read on to learn more about Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em payouts, rules and how to play.

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Articles

– Read Our Guide to Playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em Online

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Payouts & Winning Hands

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The blind, ante and play bets are each scored slightly differently depending on the outcome of the hand. The blind bet has its own special pay table, according to the strength of the overall hand. For the blind, winning hands of a straight or better have special payouts. Winning ante and play bets are paid out at 1:1. Below we have put together a basic chart outlining each of these:

Overall Payouts Based on Winning Hand

WinnerDealer QualifiesBlind BetAnte BetPlay Bet
Player
Win
Win
Win
Player
Win
Push
Win
Dealer
Lose
Lose
Lose
Dealer
Lose
Push
Lose
Tie
N/A
Push
Push
Push

Blind Bet Payout

– Royal Flush: 500-1
– Straight Flush: 50-1
– Four of a Kind: 10-1
– Full House: 3-1
– Flush: 3-2
– Straight: 1-1

Trips Bet Payouts

The Trips side bet is optional and pays regardless of whether the hand wins or not. It even wins if the board makes the hand, making it one of the most popular features of Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em. It is also worth noting that players may fold and still win the Trips bet. Below we have outlined payouts based on the winning hand:

– Royal Flush: 50-1
– Straight Flush: 40-1
– Four of a Kind: 30-1
– Three of a Kind: 8-1
– Full House: 8-1
– Flush: 6-1
– Straight: 5-1

How to Play Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em

The format used in Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is similar to other versions of Texas Hold ‘Em that are spread in poker rooms. The biggest draws are that unlike other poker varieties, Ultimate Hold ‘Em is played against the dealer and there is an optional trips bet (which we go over below). Another draw comes from the raise format, which offers the player an opportunity to raise as a multiple of of ante. These factors help add a higher level of excitement to the game. Below we’ll outline the rules and payouts associated with Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.

1. To start off, players receive two cards and so does the dealer. The players look at their cards and decide whether to check or to raise. If they opt to raise, it must amount to four times the ante. There is also an option to raise only three times – however, there is never a hand where basic strategy calls for this move. A raise at any point in the hand ends any player action.

2. After this decision, three cards (known as the flop) are shown. Players that did not raise before the flop now have the option of raising two times the ante. Checking is also an option here.

3. After the post-flop betting has been resolved, the last two cards are shown. At this point, players must either match their ante or fold.

4. The dealer then exposes his two cards and grades the hand. The dealer must have at least one pair to qualify. A paired board is considered a qualifier, even if the dealer did not match it.

5. If the dealer does not qualify, then the ante pushes; even if the player’s hand loses to the dealer. If the dealer’s hand qualifies, the best hand wins the ante bet. This is the same whether playing in a casino or online at top poker sites for real money.

Additional notes: Regardless of whether the dealer qualifies, the blind and raises are in play. If the dealer beats the player then the blind bet and raise lose. If the player beats the dealer, the raise is matched. Ties push the raise and blind bet.

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Progressive

When it comes to the excitement level of Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, the possibility of hitting a progressive certainly adds to the game. There are generally two types of progressive available at a table. This includes a “small” and “big” progressive. Obviously, this will vary from casino to casino, and sometimes even state to state. Most commonly, to qualify for the progressive requires the player to place a $1 side bet.

Small Progressive

A “small progressive” refers to a player making certain hands by using at least 1 hole card. The highest payout comes from hitting a Royal Flush. Doing so will mean you get paid out the entire small progressive jackpot. Other hands qualifying for the progressive are community royals, straight flushes, four of a kinds and full houses.

Big Progressive

A “big progressive” refers to when a player makes the same hands listed above without using any hole cards. Instead, the player must flop a Royal Flush to win the jackpot. The jackpot for big progressives are generally much higher than the small progressive, since the odds are much lower on hitting one. You can still, however, win by using hole cards. For example, making a royal with a hole card still pays 5% of the jackpot, while a community royal will generally pay $3,000.

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Introduction

Casino Hold 'Em is a poker variation, similar to Texas Hold 'Em, that is played in Egypt, Russia, South Africa, Holland, Latvia, Estonia, Ireland, Morocco, Malta, Ukraine, Panama, and Romania. It is also available to play online at casinos using Net Gaming, Real Time Gaming, Playtech, Gamesys, and Galewind Software.

The game also goes by the name Casino Hold 'Em Open. Under this name, the rules are the same except the player hole cards are dealt face up. In normal Casino Hold 'Em they are dealt face down.

Texas Hold'em Casino World

Rules

The rules are as follows.

Casino
  1. Play begins with each player making an Ante wager. There is also an optional Progressive Jackpot side bet.
  2. The dealer gives the player and himself two hole cards and three community cards face up on the table.
  3. Each player must decide to either fold or call. If the player folds, then he gives up his cards and his Ante bet. If the player calls, then the Call bet must be equal to two times the Ante bet.
  4. The dealer will then deal two more community cards, for a total of five. The dealer will then turn over his own two cards.
  5. Both hands shall be scored according the highest poker value of the two hole cards and five community cards.
  6. The dealer must have a pair of fours or better to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify then the Ante will pay according to the Ante pay table below and the Call bet will push.
  7. If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, then the player will lose both the Ante and Call.
  8. If the dealer qualifies and the player beats the dealer then the Ante will pay according to the Ante pay table below and the Call bet will pay 1 to 1.
  9. If the dealer qualifies and the player ties the dealer then both Ante and Call bets will push.
  10. The Progressive Jackpot side bet pays based on the player's final seven card hand only, even if the player folded or loses to the dealer. More on this bet at the bottom of the page.

Ante Pay Table

HandTable 1Table 2Table 3Table 4
Royal flush2025100100
Straight flush20252049
4 of a kind10121017
Full house3333
Flush2222
All other1111

Caribbean Hold 'Em Warning

Be warned that Realtime Gaming has an imitation of this game called Caribbean Hold 'Em. However, they pay 1 to 1 on the Ante if the dealer doesn't qualify, as opposed to the full Ante Bonus pay table. Nowhere is this rule change disclosed in their game rules, I might add.

Analysis

The following table shows the number of combination, probability, and contribution to the return of all possible outcomes under ante pay table 3, which I'm told is the most frequently used. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.16%.

Return Table — Pay Table 3Expand

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Player wins with royal flush1027362590400.0000260.002700
Player has royal flush, dealer doesn't qualify1001198929600.0000040.000431
Player wins with straight flush2260011222840.0002160.004747
Player has straight flush, dealer doesn't qualify2010896728280.0000390.000784
Player wins with four of a kind12414198965520.0014890.01787
Player has four of a kind, dealer doesn't qualify109094993200.0000330.000327
Player wins with full house55895050376600.0211950.105973
Player wins with flush45051314195800.0181610.072645
Player wins with straight or less364266700165720.231060.693181
Player has full house, dealer doesn't qualify3246016768320.0008850.002654
Player has flush, dealer doesn't qualify21688835364320.0060720.012144
Player has straight or less, dealer doesn't qualify155213762191480.1985120.198512
Tie06785969165800.0243980
Player folds-150090671026000.180093-0.180093
Player loses-388397017556120.317817-0.953451
Total278138100240001-0.021576

The following return table is four pay table 4. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 0.35%. This pay table can be found at Internet casinos using Gamesys N.V. software titled 'Casino Hold 'Em with Zero House Edge.' As you can see, the 'Zero House Edge' part is a misnomer. The player must pay a 10% commission on any net gambling win per session. A 'session' ends after a period of one hour with no bet or 24 hours, whichever happens first.

The owner of Casino Hold 'Em wishes for me to state that Gamesys N.V. is using his game without permission.

Return Table — Pay Table 4Expand

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Player wins with royal flush102736,259,0400.0000260.002700
Player has royal flush, dealer doesn't qualify100119,892,9600.0000040.000431
Player wins with straight flush516,031,161,9320.0002170.011059
Player has straight flush, dealer doesn't qualify491,096,758,9360.0000390.001932
Player wins with four of a kind1941,421,337,0560.0014890.028295
Player has four of a kind, dealer doesn't qualify17909,634,1040.0000330.000556
Player wins with full house5589,638,417,8160.0211990.105997
Player wins with flush4505,727,272,9200.0181830.072730
Player wins with straight or less36,429,871,396,5160.2311750.693526
Player has full house, dealer doesn't qualify324,601,738,1760.0008850.002654
Player has flush, dealer doesn't qualify2169,051,416,9120.0060780.012156
Player has straight or less, dealer doesn't qualify15,526,154,486,5120.1986840.198684
Tie0679,763,871,1400.0244400.000000
Player folds-14,984,375,678,9200.179205-0.179205
Player loses-38,854,310,701,0600.318342-0.955027
Total27,813,810,024,0001.000000-0.003511

I would like to thank Stephen How of Discount Gambling for supplying the combinations in pay table 4.

The only pay tables fully analyzed are 3 and 4, because it takes my computer about a month to cycle through all possible combinations. However, assuming the player was following optimal strategy under pay table 3 but playing under pay table 1 or 2, the house edge under pay table 1 would be 2.40%, and under pay table 2 would be 1.96%. The actual house edge under pay tables 1 and 2 would be slightly less or equal to these figures.

Strategy

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to quantify optimal strategy for this game. I can say that the optimal strategy player will raise 82% of the time. So only in the worst 18% of hands should the player fold. In general these are when the player has two singletons in the hole that are low compared to the flop, with little or no chance for a straight or flush.

Side Bets

The only side bet I am aware of for this game is known as the AA+. It pays based on the poker value of the player's hand after the flop. There are three known pay tables, as follows:

AA+ Pay Tables

HandPay Table 1Pay Table 2Pay Table 3
Royal Flush25100100
Straight flush255050
4 of a kind254040
Full house253030
Flush252020
Straight7710
Three of a kind778
Two pair777
Pair of aces777
House edge6.40%6.26%2.97%

Pay tables 1 and 2 can be found in land casinos. Pay table 3 is used by Internet casinos using Gamesys software.

Casino Hold'em Strategy

As an example, following is the full return table for Pay Table 1.

AA+ Side Bet — Pay Table 1

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Royal Flush2540.0000020.000038
Straight flush25360.0000140.000346
4 of a kind256240.0002400.006002
Full house2537440.0014410.036014
Flush2551080.0019650.049135
Straight7102000.0039250.027473
Three of a kind7549120.0211280.147899
Two pair71235520.0475390.332773
Pair of aces7844800.0325050.227537
Other-123163000.891241-0.891241
Total25989601-0.064023

Progressive Jackpot

The Progressive Jackpot bet shall pay based on the player's two hole cards and the five community cards only. It does not matter whether or not the player folds or loses to the dealer. In the event of a straight flush or royal flush on the board, all players who made the Progressive Jackpot bet shall split the win.

The following table shows the probability and contribution to the return for each event. Obviously, the return from the top two awards will depend on the jackpot size, so are treated as unknowns.

Progressive Jackpot

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Royal flushJackpot4,3240.000032x
Straight flush10% of Jackpot37,2600.000279y
4 of a kind$100.00224,8480.0016810.168100
Full house$10.003,473,1840.0259610.259610
Other$0.00130,044,9440.9720470.000000
Total$0.00133,784,5601.0000000.487931+x+y

The table above shows the fixed wins return 42.77% of the amount bet. Assuming the player is playing alone, for every $1,000 in the meter the return will increase by 6.02%. Under the same assumption, the break-even point is $9,503.22. Due to jackpot sharing, the return will go down slightly according to the number of other players making the bet.

Jumbo Jackpot

There is another progressive jackpot called the 'Jumbo Jackpot.' The following table shows the wins, probabilities and the contribution to the return for each type of winning hand.

Jumbo Jackpot

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
7-card straight flush?320.00000024x
6-card straight flush$5,000.007520.000005620.028105
5-card straight flush$250.0040,8000.000304970.076242
4 of a kind$50.00224,8480.001680670.084034
Full house$5.003,473,1840.025961020.129805
Flush$4.004,047,6440.030254940.121020
Straight$2.006,180,0200.046193820.092388
Other$0.00119,817,2800.895598710.000000
Total$0.00133,784,5601.000000000.531593

The return for the top award depends on the amount in the jackpot. I can say that all the other wins return 53.16% of money bet. For every 100,000 bet units in the meter the return increases by 2.39%. At a jackpot of $1,958,300.75 the return reaches 100%.

Progressive Jackpot Side Bet

There is yet another side bet based on the player's first two cards and the three-card flop. I put information about it in my page titled Casino Hold Em Progressive Jackpot Side Bet'.

Casino Razz Bonus

I believe this side bet pays according to the poker value of the player's two hole cards and the three cards on the flop -- the lower the poker value, the more it pays. For all the rules and analysis, please see my page on Casino Razz Bonus.

Methodology

The above analysis was performed using a brute force combinatorial program that analyzed all 27,813,810,024,000 possible outcomes, and played every hand according to optimal player strategy. It took my computers about a month to crank though the 27.8 trillion hands.

External Links

The web site for Casino Hold'em, as well as other games, is www.casinopokergames.com.

Casino Hold'em Strategy

There is a good Casino Hold 'Em calculator at beatingbonuses.com.

Free Online Texas Holdem Poker Casino World


Written by:Michael Shackleford